Zimbabwean billionaire, Masiyiwa says idea to build Africa’s 1st AI factory inspired by Dangote, Obasanjo

Masiyiwa shared this in a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, detailing how a conversation with Dangote and Obasanjo seven years ago in Singapore pushed him to take on ambitious projects that would transform Africa’s technological landscape.

“I will never forget the day seven years ago when I had coffee with my friend Aliko Dangote and our ‘Baba’ [as we call former President Obasanjo] at an event in Singapore,” Masiyiwa recalled. “Baba challenged us both that day to ‘do bigger things for Africa… stuff you guys can now do!’” 

According to Masiyiwa, Dangote shared his vision to build a refinery, an ambitious project that has since materialized at a cost of $19 billion. At the time, Masiyiwa had already been working on building the Liquid continental fiber network to ensure no African was left behind in the digital revolution, but the conversation made him feel compelled to do even more.

The turning point came when he attended a panel discussion where multiple speakers claimed Africa would remain a mere consumer of AI because the cost of computing power was beyond the continent’s reach.

“Sitting there, I thought to myself, ‘If Aliko can raise $19 billion, surely I should be able to raise a few billion dollars to get AI Compute started in Africa. After all, we already have most of the key components right here in our own companies!’” 

Masiyiwa revealed that when he later mentioned his idea to Dangote and their mutual friend, Prof Benedict Oramah, the President of Afreximbank, they both encouraged him to pursue it.

“When I mentioned this to Aliko the next time we met, this time together with our friend Prof Oramah of Afreximbank, they were egging me on to do it. 

My brother, you got this. It’s your field now. If you can’t do it, then who?’ Aliko joked before adding: ‘Don’t forget Nigeria!

Prof’ [as we call Prof Oramah] as usual just said, ‘We are always there for you as Afreximbank, even though you will also have to go global for such funding.’ That’s how he has spoken to me for over 30 years now,” Masiyiwa said.

Now, in partnership with Nvidia, Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies is launching “Project Mufungi,” an initiative that will establish high-performance AI computing infrastructure across Africa.

“Our AI factory provides the infrastructure for this innovation to scale, empowering African businesses, startups, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure to turn their bold ideas into real-world breakthroughs. And now they don’t have to look beyond Africa to get it,” Masiyiwa said.

The move also comes amid increasing interest in Africa’s digital infrastructure from global technology firms.

With backing from partners like Nvidia and Afreximbank, the project is expected to catalyze further investments in Africa’s digital economy, helping to close the AI divide between the continent and the rest of the world.